1. Field of the Invention
The invention is related to a dryer vent elbow, and, more specifically, to a short depth dryer vent elbow and its method of construction.
2. Description of the Related Art
In most contemporary residential clothes dryer installations, the clothes dryer has a dryer exhaust vent connected to an exhaust duct, extending from the clothes dryer to the exterior of the house to vent the dryer exhaust air outside. Typically, the dryer exhaust vent is horizontally oriented and the exhaust duct is vertically oriented. A dryer vent elbow is positioned between the exit of the dryer exhaust vent and the entrance of the exhaust duct. The elbow aids in making the right angle connection between the horizontally oriented dryer exhaust vent and the vertically oriented exhaust duct.
Dryer vent elbows are usually made from aluminum and can comprise multiple segments. The multiple segments can be fixed relative to one another or rotate relative to one another in an articulated elbow. Dryer elbows typically have a circular cross-section with a diameter that conforms to the dryer exhaust vent diameter and the exhaust duct diameter. It is desirable to maintain a constant cross-sectional area to maintain a constant velocity for the exhaust air, which tends to prevent lint and other material entrained in the exhaust air from falling out of the air flow until the air is expelled from the exhaust duct into the atmosphere.
A consequence of making the elbow with a circular cross-section and a constant diameter is that the elbow has a depth greater than the diameter of the dryer exhaust vent. Often, the depth of the elbow is substantially greater than the diameter of the dryer exhaust vent and the exhaust duct. An unfortunate result of this configuration is that the dryer, which is typically placed with its back up against a wall, must be spaced from the wall to accommodate the depth of the elbow. Excess spacing of the dryer from the wall is undesirable in that valuable room space is lost. Additionally, many users consider the spacing of the dryer from the wall aesthetically unpleasing.